Sabarimala Temple reopens for rituals amid heavy security

Amid tight security, the doors of the Sabarimala Temple were reopened around 5 pm on Monday for devotees of Lord Ayyappa.

Earlier in the day, the devotees began the trek from Nilakkal base camp to the hill shrine of Sabarimala. After the special 'Athazha Puja', the temple will be closed on Tuesday evening.

The Kerala High Court had also ruled that the devotees and media persons should not be barred from entering the temple.

In the wake of violent protests, the Kerala Police have issued prohibitory orders at Pamba, Nilakkal and other areas near the shrine and are maintaining vigil on vehicles going towards the temple.

The Pathanamthitta district administration has imposed Section 144 in Sannidhanam, Pamba, Nilakkal and Elavunkal till November 6. This prohibits assembly of five or more people in an area. Every member of such an "unlawful assembly" can be booked for "engaging in rioting", the maximum punishment for which is three years.

The Sabarimala Temple and its surrounding areas witnessed a series of protests in October over the Supreme Court's decision to quash restrictions on the entry of females between 10 and 50 years age group into the holy shrine. However, in spite of the apex court's order no female in menstruating ages were able to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple when it opened last time.

More than 3000 protesters were arrested for instigating the violence that broke out in the state, while around 529 cases were registered.